Prey
by Ravenara
Summary: Cronus is at it again, but this time he's specifically chosen one of the team to inadvertently do his dirty work after nearly killing her. The Seven now must deal with this new revelation and cure it before it gets out of hand...
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick note, Archie and Atlanta are together. I didn't feel like wasting my time getting them together when I suck at it. So just… yeah :x

**Prey**

Grinning, Cronus held up a vial of an unknown liquid. A rather frightened man in a lab coat cowered away from the god. Cronus smirked at him.

"You've done well." With a flick of his wrist a large suitcase appeared before the man. "Money. Most mortals will do anything to get more of it." He grunted with a hint of disgust.

The scientist flicked the clasps up and lifted the lid of the case. His face immediately lit up at its contents. It wasn't long before he closed it, locked it and got up to leave.

"Oh, don't leave for vacation yet. If this works I'll need you." Cronus warned darkly.

The man, visibly perturbed by the idea of doing work with the god again, nodded and scurried out.

"Ah, yes, this should be fun."

--

A golden paw swept out and narrowly missed Archie who flicked his Hephaestus whip at the creature. Atlanta, who was behind it a few seconds before, appeared beside him.

"A lion? Is that the best Cronus can do?" Atlanta asked.

"Apparently, and I'm not complaining." Archie grunted before dodging another attack. A boulder came crashing down on the lion's shoulder and its leg gave out momentarily.

"Yeah!" Herry cried, satisfied at where the boulder hit. Atlanta ran to him.

"Herry, think you can throw me onto its back?" Without a word the larger teenager picked the smaller up by waist and tossed her onto the back of the feline. Atlanta immediately grabbed its mane to keep her from falling off. Her lower body hung off to one side. Lifting one leg, she brought it over the beast's back and squeezed her legs tight against its sides. The lion, not too happy that she was on its back jerked about in an attempt to throw her off.

"Whoa!" The redhead cried before letting go and flying off.

"Atlanta!" Archie cried but his attention to her was quickly deterred when the lion batted him away.

"Guys!" Odie cried as he ran towards them, slowing down considerably as he neared the fearful lion. In his hand was a tranquilizer gun. "Where's Atlanta?"

Jay, xiphos in hand, deflected an attack from the lion, "She was thrown off the lion." He jerked his chin towards the form of Atlanta on the ground behind their enemy. She stirred and struggled to sit up.

"Oh… I was hoping she could handle the gun seeing as I have no idea how to work it." Odie huffed as he held up the darts and the gun itself. Theresa snatched both from the descendant of Odysseus and loaded the gun.

"Lemme try." She said before taking aim. "Aim for the neck right?"

"That'd be logical, there's a large artery there."

With that the strawberry-blonde fired. The dart imbedded itself into the lion's neck and the lion roared angrily. It smacked one giant paw onto Archie. Theresa reloaded and fire again. This dart pierced its previously injured shoulder. Several moments later the golden beast slumped to the ground.

"Well, that was close." Herry said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Shit! Where's Atlanta?" Archie cursed, not finding her where she had been.

"Right here!" The six whirled around and where met by Cronus. The evil god had one arm wrapped around Atlanta's chest to restrain her and the other hand held a syringe. Atlanta, weakened and unable to fight back gritted her teeth. She lifted her chin into the air, exposing her neck, the arteries standing out. Cronus grinned wickedly.

Jay stepped forward, xiphos held tightly in his hand. Archie, seeing his girlfriend held hostage by the enemy, glared fiercely. Cronus noticed this.

"What's wrong Archie?" He pressed his palm against her neck and the girl whimpered. "Can't stand to see the youngest female, the only person as headstrong as you, in my clutches?" Cronus asked, hitting a nerve in the younger teenager.

With an angry cry, Archie leapt forward and his arm flung back intending to strike with his Hephaestus whip. In one fluid movement, the God of Time pressed the needle of the syringe into her neck and emptied its contents into her bloodstream. He shoved her onto Archie who caught her.

"I would tell you what that was but I'll let Dionysus have his fun." Cronus added with a laugh before stepping through a portal.

"Oh shit, Atlanta…" Archie muttered as he sank to his knees with the semi-limp Atlanta.

"Oooh… I hurt…" She said hoarsely.

"Whatever Cronus put into 'Lanta shouldn't work that fast." Said Odie.

"Some tranquillizers do." Jay said grimly before he knelt beside Archie who cradled his injured team mate and girlfriend. "Archie…" He began as he lifted his hand to put it on his friend's shoulder.

Archie jerked away and proceeded to talk to the redhead. He hoped he could keep her awake. "Hey… 'Lanta. You gotta stay awake for me, okay?"

Atlanta 'Mm hm'ed and nodded numbly. Archie picked her up and turned to the others.

"We need to get to the school, _now._"

--

So, what'd you think? Think I should continue or make an eternal cliffhanger? TELL MEE!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, to clear something up, YES Atlanta and Archie are going out, I mentioned this in the last chapter. You guys gotta start reading the before notes.

**Prey**

Jay and Theresa both held the doors open to Chiron's study as Archie carried Atlanta in. The entire way there he had asked her random questions, things like; "What's my middle name." and "What's Newton's Law?". It did some good at keeping Atlanta awake, but she didn't always answer the questions correctly and she was fading fast.

"Chiron! Atlanta needs help!" Jay cried. The centaur turned around and hastily dropped the book he was reading on a table.

"My dear! What happened?" He asked, gently taking Atlanta away from Archie.

"It was Cronus. He put something into her bloodstream." Odie answered.

"Oh dear, Dionysus!" Chiron called. Moments later the God of Wine appeared.

"What is it?" He asked. Chiron explained and immediately Dionysus went to assessing what to do. "I'll need a blood sample."

Nodding grimly, the centaur laid Atlanta on the bed. Her head lolled limply to the side. Archie dashed to her side and brushed her bangs from her eyes. The lids fluttered.

"Ta… please, open your eyes for me." Archie pleaded. The redhead's sea blue eyes opened, but only half-way.

"Ar-Archie?" Atlanta asked hoarsely. Her eyelids continuously drooped then flicked open.

"Yeah, it's me." A firm hand was placed on the violet-haired teen's shoulder. Looking back he looked up at his leader. Archie bit his lip and kissed Atlanta lightly on the temple.

--

The seven waited outside Chiron's study impatiently. It was so quiet without Atlanta around to make jokes or strike up a conversation about the weirdest things (one time, out of the blue she began going on about how good instant noodles are).

Neil couldn't even bother to look at himself in his mirror and instead fiddled with his wrist band. It only dampened his mood more for the wrist bands he wore bore the same design as the one Atlanta wore.

Jay held his chin in his hand while the other fingered his initialled medallion. The guilt of not being able to prevent what had happened was near overwhelming.

Theresa watched Jay, though not really catching what he was doing. Her mind was replying the previous events. Cronus injecting a mystery liquid into her friend and team mate, and Atlanta slumping to the ground against Archie. At the thought of the generally brash boy, she turned to him, worried.

Said boy was slumped on the stairs. He stared blankly at his leg brace while fiddling with the hem of his shorts. Theresa reached for her hand and clasped it though received no response.

"Archie." The boy grunted and kept his eyes fixed on the brace.

"Archie, I know you're worried about Atlanta. We all are. She's stubborn and strong, she'll pull through."

"How do you know that? Cronus did this to her, what if it's like cancer, no cure? God, I love her, I love her so much 'worried' is the ultimate understatement of the year!" Archie cried and stood up. "I'm downright _terrified_."

"We all fear the worst, Archie." Hera's calm voice drifted through the cavernous room. "But all we can really do at this point is hope. You of all people should know that."

At that precise moment Dionysus and Chiron stepped out from the study. Chiron's hooves made a loud clacking against the tiled floor and echoed. Both looked grim.

"I've analysed a blood sample from Atlanta. Cronus gave her an anti-protein, and it's destroying tissue, cells and possibly even nerve endings." Dionysus spoke grimly. "I'm working on a cure as we speak but…"

"But what?" Jay asked.

"I don't know if she'll last."

--

"I don't see how that's a problem." Neil said. "We can just get her from the Underworld like we did Jay."

"Yeah but Jay hadn't actually entered the gates, and Jay only came back because we cured him." Theresa corrected. "What if we don't find a cure? Then we can't bring her back."

Archie was slumped on the couch of the dorm. This time, instead of staring at his ankle brace he stared at the television. Theresa glanced worriedly at him.

"Enough… I think we should just get some sleep." Jay announced. Many replies came in the form of grunts and sighs. Archie grunted as he picked himself up from the couch. He travelled down the hall in an almost drunken stupor, stopping outside Atlanta's bedroom. He peered in, remained there for a few moments and took it in. Everything about her, everything about what he loved about her was there. Finding much less comfort in her room than the thought of his own, he trudged down to it.

It was no secret that he had been crying that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Uggh, I apologize for the spelling mistakes. That's what happens when you write the chapter at 5:00 am and proofread it the next night at 3:00 am. x.x Also, the parts with Archie was kinda written with the song _For You _by Staind.

**Prey**

Atlanta awoke the next day and found herself very disoriented. Cracking both eyes open, she yelped at the sudden pain as bright light filtered through. Her surprise had also been met by a jump which left her on the floor beside the couch-like bed. She remained there, lying on the cool tile too weak to hoist herself up.

It wasn't much longer when Chiron clopped in after hearing the yelp and resulting thud. When he stood in front of her, she looked back at him. The centaur frowned at her pallor and panting. He gently rolled her over and scooped her up. Atlanta felt limp in his arms. Her head lolled to one side, away from him and her arms dangled beneath her.

Every muscle twitched and writhed.

Chiron felt his skin crawl and the short grey fur of his equine half stand on end. It was not normal to be prone yet have every muscle move like that. After lying the fallen heroine on the bed once again the centaur clopped off towards Dionysus' lab but not before taking one last concerned and solemn glance at the girl.

--

Archie stared at his cereal. He pushed the soggy figures around in the milk, not at all intending to eat it like he had when he had poured it. He was still in his boxers and didn't really feel like getting dressed.

_She's dying. _

She was dying, and all he could think about was that. The possibility that he wouldn't see Atlanta again until his own death. The thought of meeting in the eternal bliss of the Elysian Fields offered some comfort but only briefly.

_She's dying and there's nothing you can do about it._

With a growl Archie shoved his bowl away and hopped off the stool. He stalked to his room and slammed the door. Herry, Jay and Theresa poked their heads out of their respected rooms. The looked at each other, exchanging knowing looks between them. Theresa, having the lightest footsteps, tip-toed across the hall and pressed her ear to the door. She wasn't one for eavesdropping but when it came to a friend she could care less.

After a few moments of listening she pulled away and looked to the descendants of Jason and Hercules. "He's crying." She whispered. Herry took a deep breath and found his shoes rather interesting and Jay rubbed his face with one hand.

The descendant of Theseus stepped out of the way as Jay stepped up to the door. Rapping twice, he was met by a grunt. Not entirely unusual for Archie.

"Arch, we're worried. Not just about Atlanta, but about you."

There were several seconds of silence until the door opened and a rather dishevelled Archie. Though the tear tracks were gone the tell-tale redness of his cerulean eyes confirmed their suspicions. At least now he wore his shorts. Archie leaned against the doorframe with a look that said; _Talk now while I'm listening_.

Jay took another small step closer, "Arch, maybe we should go see Atlanta? I mean, Dionysus never mentioned anything about it being contagious, and if it is well, you won't contract it anyway." The leader offered.

The descendant of Achilles stared for a minute before rubbing his eyes with his left hand. After blinking the blurriness out of his eyes he spoke, "Fine."

--

Persephone stepped out from behind a pillar and ambled towards the seemingly unconscious Atlanta. She brushed the girl's scarlet bangs from her lidded eyes and let her fingers trace the cheekbone. The goddess sighed solemnly.

She almost jumped when a soft voice entered her hearing.

"Persephone."

Said goddess smiled and tilted her head. "Yes, Atlanta?"

"What's… what's wrong with me? What did Dionysus find?" The redhead's voice cracked near the end of her question.

The Goddess of the Harvest frowned sadly. Hera had called a meeting of all the gods and goddesses that called New Olympia home and had relayed the news. At hearing that one of The Seven was dying, Persephone couldn't bear the thought of seeing such a child in the Underworld, even in the Elysian Fields.

"You're dying."

Persephone didn't know what to make of the slow exhale of breath through the girl's nose and the cynical 'heh'. At that moment Jay, Theresa and Herry filed through the large doors. Archie trailed a considerable distance behind.

"Jay, Theresa, Herry! Oh, and Archie!" Persephone cried with unexpected joy. She took a few graceful steps towards them and all four could see the unshed tears glistening in the willowy woman's eyes.

"Hello Ms. Persephone. We just wanted to see Atlanta…" Theresa trailed off when she saw how gravely ill the usually hyper, happy-go-lucky girl was. Archie followed her gaze and almost fainted. He dashed to his girlfriend's side and grabbed her hand, hoping to Zeus she would reply.

"Atlanta!" The boy held the girl's crimson bangs away from her eyes.

"Archie…" Came Atlanta's weak reply. Her sea green eyes opened. They were dull. A smile graced her lips and she weakly squeezed Archie's larger hand. "Hey."

"H-hey." Archie struggled to speak without crying. He wasn't one to cry, but never had he loved someone as much as he loved Atlanta.

The said teenager giggled some. "I'm on my deathbed, and you're right beside me holding my hand. This so cliché."

"It is… and like every cliché, the man's gotta kiss the woman." Archie replied with a grin and Atlanta smiled and nodded slightly. Archie leaned over and kissed her softly on her lips as if he was afraid that'd she die from kiss-trauma.

"A kiss for the dying beauty." Archie whispered in her ear. "For now."

--

Rather uneventful chapter…


	4. Chapter 4

God, it's so hot here… and this is Ontario! Can't imagine what it's like in Florida… anywho, this chapter was written to the new Three Days Grace album.

**Prey**

Dionysus sat in front of his desk, closely inspecting a vial of a dark red substance. A little piece of masking tape near the rim, written in chicken scratch, read;

_Atlanta _

_Blood smpl._

The god didn't notice when Chiron stepped in. The centaur had a rather concerned look on his face and his brow was creased. Dionysus jumped when he spoke.

"Scrutinizing a patient's blood sample?" He asked. Dionysus straightened his glasses and composed himself, trying to make it look like he hadn't been startled.

"Something just isn't right. Something's missing." The God of Wine sighed and put the vial into the tray. He turned to face the elderly centaur. "You seem… disgruntled."

Chiron frowned. "I agree with you on the terms that something is not as it seems with Atlanta."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever held a stunned snake?"

"No."

"Well, when you pick it up it's limp but its muscle twitch and writhe. Unnerving feeling. That's what I felt beneath Atlanta's skin when I picked her up." Chiron answered. His tone told Dionysus his fears.

"I'll look into it." The God assured.

--

After Archie and the others had gone, Atlanta was brought some saltines and water. Artemis helped her sit up against the back of the couch so that she could eat. She picked one of the saltines up and nibbled on it. She couldn't taste a thing.

She tossed the cracker back onto the plate. Artemis frowned.

"Atlanta, you need to eat something." She urged.

"I can't taste it… I don't want it." Atlanta replied.

The Goddess of the Hunt took the glass of water and held it to the girl's lips. "Drink. It's just water."

Atlanta sipped on the water. She was grateful for it.

"So… how long?"

Artemis blinked, "Huh?"

Atlanta waved her hand, "Until I… pass."

The goddess sighed wearily and brought up a chair, "Atlanta, don't talk like that."

The girl frowned, "Why not? It's an honest question. Persephone told me I'm dying." She replied flatly. She hated it when she was treated like a child. Sure, she was the youngest on the team, but most said she was the toughest. Huffing quietly, she looked away from the goddess.

"I don't know. That isn't in my field."

Atlanta, exhaling sharply, turned her sea green eyes to the window. It was so bright outside and she could hear the yelps and cries of laughter from the other teenagers attending the school. It was lunch.

A soft yet commanding voice called Artemis away. Hera stood beside the chair that her half-daughter had occupied. For a few moments she stood there silently, watching Atlanta look out the window.

Breathing deep, Hera spoke, "Atlanta, you're aware of your condition?"

Said girl grunted in reply.

"If you do die, you are aware that you will go to the Elysian Fields?"

Another grunt.

"I know you won't give up." At this Atlanta turned to face the Queen of the Gods. "You know your duty, and like a hero, like Atalanta, you won't give up until it's finished."

Groaning the redhead brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Suddenly her head began to pound, her hearing muffled yet unbearably loud. She curled up slightly, bringing her knees to her chest.

Hera saw this and pursed her lips, "Something wrong?" The goddess never received an answer, only a whimper. Atlanta's small form shuddered, obviously in discomfort. Hera frowned and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder and quickly withdrew it, fear welling within her heart. Her skin was a paradox; both hot and cold while the muscle beneath twitched and spasmed unnaturally. The woman placed a hand on the younger's temple and within seconds Atlanta fell limp, arms dangling off the side of the sofa.

"Something is not as it seems." Hera mused aloud.

--

Jay sat at his desk, leaning over his long procrastinated calculus homework. His forehead rested on his left palm, clearing his bangs from his eyes as he tapped the eraser of his pencil on the paper. Heaving a sigh the boy slapped the pencil down angrily and leaned back in his chair.

"The fuck? Atlanta's at the school dying, and I'm doing calculus." He snarled to himself and slammed his text book closed. He stood and shoved the chair angrily before stalking out into the hall where he leaned against the opposite wall, left arm resting above his head.

Theresa exited the bathroom and frowned at the leader. "Jay." She laid a hand on his shoulder.

Jay suddenly jerked to look at her, blinking. "Uhh? What?"

"It isn't your fault, you couldn't have known Cronus was going to do that." Theresa said softly, canting her head.

_But I could be there, looking for a cure instead of… doing fucking calculus._

Theresa sighs quietly before gently pulling Jay away from the wall and enveloping him in a hug. After a few hesitant moments she felt Jay's arms close around her tightly. She felt him let out a shaky breath, a signal that he was holding back tears. The strawberry-blonde's hands run up and down the boy's back in a comforting manner while Jay nuzzled her neck gently.

Unknown to them Archie was watching from his doorway, a numb feeling working its way through his system. His cerulean eyes narrowed before her pushed off the doorframe and trudged down the hall, slipping past the two. They didn't even notice.

Passing the kitchen, Athena looked up from a black, leather-bound book. "Where are you going?" The Goddess asked.

"For a run." He grunted gruffly while he grabbed his hoodie and slipped it on over his wifebeater. Without another word the broody male left the brownstone, heading towards the park at fast-paced jog.

--

Chiron flipped through various archaic tomes furiously, brow creased. A hand rose to stroke his beard thoughtfully as his practiced eyes scanned over the words. With an annoyed grunt he dropped the book into the pile of previously raided tomes.

"For the love of Zeus…"

"Chiron." Hera's voice cut through the air. The centaur immediately looked to the Queen, expression as grim as hers. "Something is not right with Atlanta."

The elderly beast nodded with a soft grunt. "Yes. Dionysus and I have already concurred that something is amiss." He replied.

Hera sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I fear of what will become of her."

Chiron laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Atlanta is arguably the toughest of the group. She will pull through, I am sure."

"I don't doubt that, Chiron. What I fear is _what_ she will _be_."

The centaur frowned at the words. "Your words frighten me, Miss Hera." He murmured and turned back to his bookcase. "Nonetheless, I am sure I have _something _in my collection to aid our young heroine, if not then Dionysus will."

Hera smiled fondly at the centaur, skin crinkling around her eyes. "I will see what I can do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Prey**

Atlanta found herself standing _somewhere_, it was all dark and she was lucky if she could see her hand a foot from her face. She spun around several times, searching for a light or someone. Had she been captured by Cronus? No, she was in the school when she'd fallen asleep.

Without warning a series of full-length mirrors slid up through the floor, or what could be called the floor. Then a floodlight flickered on, showering Atlanta with much appreciated light from above. The mirrors' sleek, shiny surfaces reflected the teenager's lithe frame at every angle.

"Uhm…" She began, unsure. Then, the temperature dropped dramatically. As she breathed, puffs of her breath billowed past her lips in plumes. Shivering, the redhead clasped her hands on her arms and rubbed them, shoulders hunching.

--

In the conscious world the unconscious form of Atlanta shivered profusely, goose bumps rising on her skin. Her teeth chattered loudly, echoing through the otherwise silent room. Apollo, happily passing by lyre to his chest, back-pedalled and peeked in.

"Oh dear." He said and padded in, placing a hand on Atlanta's forehead. "She izz hot!" The god cried, pulling his hand away and shaking it like it had been burned.

Artemis then appeared, arms hanging limply at her sides. "She's getting worse?" She asked her brother. Apollo's bottom lip pushed out like a child's.

"I don't know… she appears to be cold but, she izz hot to ze touch." Apollo replied in his thick Italian accent. His twin heaved a heavy sigh,

"I don't know how much longer she's gonna last."

--

"This is a _weird _dream." Atlanta mused. How could she know it was a dream? When she dreamt she was unable to tell that it was a dream, no matter how outrageous it was. The temperature dropped again and Atlanta leaned against a mirror, rubbing her arms faster. She remembered something she'd heard once, about rubbing your chest and that your arms would take care of themselves. Unfortunately she couldn't quite do that, seeing as most of her chest was occupied by her breasts.

"God, it's so cold…" She mused, recalling that when she dreamt she couldn't feel hardly anything, and what she did feel was dull. Like the time she dreamt her mom's house was being broken into by an armed robber. In an attempt to save her friend she rushed the burglar only to shot in the head. Thing was, she felt the impact but it wasn't painful just… like getting hit with a little pebble.

After awaking Atlanta found the dream quite disturbing, but it wasn't the first. She'd had plenty of odd and disturbing dreams whether they were pleasant or nightmarish. One can say being a doe and seeing yourself aiming a crossbow at you is most definitely disturbing.

"Ehhh… I wanna wake up…" The redhead said to herself softly, sliding down the mirror to pull her knees up to her chest.

--

Artemis whimpered softly as Atlanta's lips turned blue and her skin paled even more. The teenager shivered to the point she was almost convulsing. Twin gods sat on either side of her, holding each hand. How could it be that her skin was burning hot yet she shivered like it was a blizzard without a coat?

Apollo played a slow, sad tune on his lyre which began to get on his older sister's nerves. After a few more minutes of putting up with it Artemis grabbed the instrument and yanked it from her brother's hand.

"Wha-hey! Zat izz my lyre!" The God of the Sun cried while grabbing for it.

"Yeah, it is. And if you're not gonna play anything _good_ then it will remain confiscated." The Goddess of the Hunt snapped before sitting down with a heavy sigh. Hera stepped in the room, weary looking.

"Any progress?" She asked. Apollo looked to his sister, then back to Hera.

The god moved his chair a bit so the elderly woman could see the condition Atlanta was in. The Queen of the Gods gasped quietly and clasped a hand to her mouth.

"Oh dear Zeus… She must awaken lest she falls into a coma."

--

Atlanta slipped her arms into her t-shirt for warmth and hugged herself. Her numbing fingers played idly with the hooks of her bra while she stared at her own reflection. For a moment her vision blurs then as it refocuses a shadow slips into darkness in her peripheral vision.

Standing now, Atlanta moved to the middle of the circle of mirrors and spun around herself. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"_Atlantaaaaaa."_

A whispery voice answered, the last A of her name drawn out as it faded.

_Okay, I'm not gonna ask how it knows my name… this _is _my own sub-conscious after all._

"Yeah, that's me. Who are _you_?"

The girl was answered with a low growl as the shadow slinked into the light. The shadow was just that; a shadow. It was solid black yet its outline constantly shifted. It bore no eyes and was difficult to identify.

Was it a wolf? Humanoid? It seemed to be both, yet neither. A paradox it was, a quite frightening paradox. It snorted, twin puffs of mist forced out of its unseen nostrils. Atlanta swallowed and took a step back and the creature to a step forward. It snarled then took off towards her at a speed that could match only her. The beast seemingly disappeared just as it was about to collide with her it disappeared in a fast-fading mist. At the same time the air was sucked out of her lungs and a head-splitting pain exploded within her skull.

Sucking in much needed air she just as quickly expels it in an agonized scream. The huntress drops to her knees then to her side while she howled, curling up tight in a ball.

--

The three immortal occupants of the room jumped at the blood-curdling scream tore from the formerly shivering heroine's throat. Atlanta's chest was thrown into the air and her hands gripped the sides of the sofa so hard the bones in her hands stood out.

Artemis immediately took hold of the girl's upper arms and held her down. Then her legs began to kick and Apollo took hold of them.

"What izz happening?" Apollo cried.

Chiron burst in at that moment, panting slightly. "What is going on?"

The centaur's query, however, goes unheard as Hera speaks, "Persephone!"

Said goddess appeared at the door, concern written all over her features. "Hera?" Atlanta's thrashing wasn't hard to miss for long and the goddess gasped.

"I need you to go inside her mind. Whatever is causing her such pain is doing it mentally."

Persephone nodded and stood at the head of the sofa. She laid her slender fingers on Atlanta's temples and struggled to keep them there as the girl jerked about. Finally she closed her eyes and concentrated – and was sucked into the girl's mind.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the endless spelling mistakes in the last two chapters. Late-night writing sprees are killer. At least now I hope this will be a fuller chapter.

**Prey**

Archie shoved his hands in his pockets angrily, weaving through the throng of people that crowded the streets of New Olympia. His swaying gait, characteristic for most teenage boys caused the many business associates glance at him briefly. With his hood up and his disinterest in weaving through the mass of bodies and roughly jostling them as they passed, many took the time out of their already hectic schedules (by their own fault of course) to look back at the boy with a frown. Quite frankly, Archie couldn't care less. He never really cared much about what others thought of him. In fact, he usually took the feelings he saw in other's eyes towards him and put it in his poetry.

As the descendant of Achilles rounded a corner his stomach growled loudly. He himself wasn't hungry but his stomach demanded to be fed. "Fine, fine." He growled and stopped at a street vendor.

_Mm. Street meat, not the best thing to eat right now… _Archie mused. Still, he bit into the oversized hotdog. As the skin broke the hot juices spurted into his mouth, awakening his taste buds. The closet poet groaned, having not had 'Street Meat' in so long. He took a seat on the far left of a street bench where on the other side was an elderly (and according to him, smelly) man.

Said senior slowly turned his head to face the slouching teenager, a smile on his heavily wrinkled face. "Hey there, big boy. What'chya doin' with yer hood up in all that? Yer gonna get shot, them homeboys will think yer some gang member." Despite the man's rather dark words, he still smiled.

Finishing his hotdog, Archie tossed the napkin in the garbage can next to him and looked to the old man. "That's the least of my problems." He said flatly and stood again to cross the street. Ten minutes later and after almost getting hit by a taxi the teenager arrived at the largest park in New Olympia. It wasn't the same one that he and Atlanta used, it was much larger and had more than one pond. Large, deep ponds with fish…

Archie shivered and killed the train of thought as he passed under the large white archway that read;

**Olympic Park**

Every time he passed under he couldn't help looking up, attempting to calculate its height. Odie had ruined his wonder once, but the number had been long forgotten. Finding an unoccupied bench he claimed the entire thing and brought his knees up. He wrapped his arms around them and rested his head in his arms.

--

Persephone was catapulted into a rather dull-looking landscape. In fact, it wasn't much of a landscape at all but a circular room comprised of mirrors and a single floodlight that was nowhere to be seen. Across the 'room' was the huddled form of Atlanta, clutching her head with her legs pulled as close to her chest as they could be. The screams had died down to loud whimpers and cries yet tears continued to run down her cheeks.

Kneeling down next to her, Persephone laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Atlanta, open your eyes."

In response Atlanta jerked away and rolled half-way onto her stomach. The poor girl was drenched in sweat.

Persephone held both her shoulders now and gently shook the girl. "Atlanta! You must look at me!"

Atlanta whimpered, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. Her nails clawed at the floor that couldn't be seen, but could be felt. The pain in her head had subsided some, but only because it spread to the rest of her body. She felt like her bone marrow was boiling while her muscles were being constantly shocked with a tazer. Her jaw hurt and her fingertips ached, Atlanta was in a world of hurt.

Persephone held back the urge to 'freak out' and shook the moaning girl harder. Atlanta gasped as she was rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes wide while her jaw dropped open. The goddess took the opportunity to hold the redhead's head between her palms, index and middle fingers pressed to her temples.

"Atlanta, I am going to take some of the pain away but you must try to relax."

"Relax? How can I _relax?_" The teenager hissed.

"Just try." Persephone replied quickly and closed her eyes, concentrating on the pain the mortal felt. Taking a deep breath she held onto it and pulled it within herself, gasping as the discomfort mounted. Being unfamiliar to pain the woman pulled away quickly, panting and eagerly waiting for it to fade away. When it did, both she _and _Atlanta relaxed.

Without warning Persephone was yanked out in a whirlwind that deposited her in her own body, in the real world. At the same time Atlanta's now limp body stirred and moaned, head turning to the other side.

--

Archie spent several minutes staring at a furry caterpillar crawling on the opposite bench arm. Rear first, a wave to the front, rear, a wave to the front, rear… During the minutes where he began to loose interest in the creature he developed the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

Tearing his cerulean coloured eyes from the worm he glanced around the area, scrutinizing every person, every tree until his eyes stopped at an elderly woman sitting on the bench across the path. Thanks to his years of reading Greek poetry, and his time with the gods Archie was able to identify the foreign writing on the cover to be Greek.

"Hm, a clue, Sherlock." The boy murmured with a somewhat amusing British accent. Upon studying the woman's face further, it struck familiarity in him, especially the deep purple hair. He scrunched his nose and slipped off the bench. The woman quickly averted her eyes to look at the pages of the book.

"Miss Athena." Archie said simply, trying to make himself look subordinate all the while obviously annoyed.

The elderly woman sighed and closed her book with a snap. "You caught me."

"Something tells me you wanted to get caught."

"I suppose I did. I'm worried about you Archie. We _all _are."

The boy shoved his pale hands into his hoodie pocket and hunched his shoulders. "Well don't. Worry about Atlanta, not me."

Athena sighed again, a little more heavy this time. "About Atlanta…"

The descendant of Achilles narrowed his eyes at the goddess' tone. "What about her? She hasn't… died, has she?" His voice became soft and cracked near the end of the sentence.

"No no, she's quite alive. Here, I think we should go see her now."

Archie nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. His right hand went from his hoodie to his pocket to grasp the handle of his Hephaestus whip. The feeling of the cool handle in his palm soothed him somewhat.


	7. Chapter 7

Geez! It has been WAY, WAY too long since I last updated. Shame on me! Why didn't you guys email me with hate mail or something…? That would get me motivated… anywho, I came back from writing an exam today. It was easier than writing a unit test. Geography is a cakewalk.

**Prey**

_Schrödinger's Cat_

Despite the fact that over the past two days, Atlanta had spent most of her time sleeping, she was absolutely whipped. She'd been sent home with headache medication and the instruction to report anything unusual.

Girl had retreated to her room for some quiet and some sleep. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Atlanta had already stripped down to her bra and underwear. At that moment I time, she seemed to be interested in her own palms.

_God, I'm so drained… I can't even bring myself to roll over onto my bed._

With a groan, the huntress flopped to the side, bringing her hands up close to her face. Within seconds she was fast asleep, mind no longer plagued with nightmares - for the time being.

About ten minutes later Archie peeked his head in, recognizing the prone form on the forest green and blue bed to be his counterpart's. Seeing her, or any of the rest of the team in their underwear wasn't terribly new, the majority of their missions nowadays resulted in horribly torn and tattered clothes.

Archie carefully grasped her sleek legs which were hanging off the bed and swung them around onto the bed. He grabbed the sheets and brought them over her and paused when he realized that Atlanta's eyes were open half-way and were staring at him.

"Hey…"

The redhead whined softly and lifted one arm as if to say _Come here. _Archie did so and smiled one she wrapped said arm around his neck.

"I hope you didn't stare too long… might hurt your eyes." She murmured quietly.

Archie chuckled, realizing she meant not to stare at her near-nude body. "Naw, not too long…" Teenager pressed his forehead to hers, "You need some rest."

Atlanta's other arm came around his neck and tugged lightly on him, "Rest with me?"

Smiling, Archie kissed her forehead, "I can't, Ares is dragging me out somewhere. I don't think I'll be too, too long…" A kiss was placed on her lips this time, "Love you."

As Archie pulled away, the huntress replied, "Ditto." And curled up beneath her covers.

--

Cronus was having a great old time decimating his to-scale model of the city with various figurines and various mythological creatures.

"Haha! Fear me!" A Harpy was rammed into a few skyscrapers which crumbled. "Pew pew!"

Meanwhile, Agnon and the others stood nearby rather dumbly, watching their master act in a childish manner.

Wasn't long before the model was completely flattened and Cronus became bored. With an exasperated sigh, the maniacal god tossed the harpy away as he turned.

"Agnon! How long has it been since my plan was put into motion?"

The Giant blinked then began to count on his fingers before displaying two to the god. Said immortal grinned and moved to the huge basin that held the equivalent to a magic mirror. Waving his hand over its surface, the water rippled and within it the image of Atlanta fast asleep was produced.

"Heheh, in a day or two, Atlanta will be more than just a huntress." Cronus turned on his heel to face his minions before he burst out in diabolical laughter, "She'll kill them all!"

The insane laughter reverberated throughout the cavern and some ways into the night.

--

It was that damn dream again. It had been reoccurring since she was a child, and she could never predict what was going to happen, no matter how many times she had it.

Atlanta stood in the nude, in a clearing of a forest, but everything was all wrong. The lush grass she stood on was a bright indigo blue. The trees donned black bark with blue or purple winding through, and the leaves - if they could be called that - were either hot pink or purple. The sky was a gradient of green and violet and three moons were present; violet, chartreuse and crimson. Crimson and violet were in partial eclipse while chartruse was a bit off to the side.

Glaring eyes of yellow, green and red stared at her through the darkness that was behind the tree line. Demons. Suddenly a deep, grating growl sounded behind the redhead. She didn't even bother to look, she just ran.

Roots seemed jerk up from the ground to trip her. Atlanta leapt and bound over them until one lucky one snagged her foot and she came tumbling down. No, no, no, no! She couldn't stop now! Girl picked herself back up and darted again but didn't go far before stumbling and falling against a tree.

Upon looking back, an acute and overpowering sense of dread flooded her system. The thing that was chasing her, it was indescribable. Atlanta could see it but at that same time she couldn't, it was trivial, a paradox.

It leapt after her, and in that precise moment something clicked within Atlanta's own mind which sent her off towards it. The two collided, Atlanta clawing and biting and yowling with primal fury.

It was then, when the two had fallen to the ground with Atlanta on top did she realize that the entity she was wrestling was _herself_. Now _that _hadn't happened in the dream before…

Atlanta number two was different, however. Hair was long, reaching about to the middle of her back, if not an inch or two shorter. It was thick and held slight curl, its vibrant fire engine hue standing out in contrast to the bright blue grass. Eyes weren't hazel, either, or grey like the real Atlanta's were at times. Instead, they were deep gold. Wolf's eyes, as her German grandfather had described such eyes.

Overall, the second redhead was more sultry, more dangerous-looking, more… dark. She smirked at her counterpart, "Just look hard enough und you might see something you recognize, _fraulein._"

With a cry, Atlanta number one pushed herself off of the other and stumbled backward. The ground crumbled beneath her bare feet, falling down into an abyss of swirling darkness. Her horrified scream reverberated throughout the ethereal forest when gravity pulled her down, the shrillness of it sending flocks of dual-winged ravens into the air. Fortunately, Atlanta was able to grasp the edge of the crevice, though her old was not sure and wouldn't last forever.

"Oh Jesus…" Atlanta was never a religious girl, had never prayed to any god, not even now with her knowledge of the Greek gods. To utter the name of the Lord was simple verbal reflex. "Christ…"

The charcoal dirt was abrasive against her bare skin, making it itch feverishly. Whining, Atlanta began to pull herself up but for some reason, all her upper body strength had abandoned her.

Teenager's hold slipped, "Oh God!" Two clawed hands grasped her wrists, claws digging into the back of them. Over the edge peered Atlanta's doppelganger, grinning like a fiend.

"Vhat on earth are you doing, _fraulein?_" Crazy girl had an unmistakable German accent too, what was with this?

"_Go away!_" Simultaneously the doppelganger vanished to let her fall back into the crevice, and then the rest of the venue did as well. Next thing she knew, Atlanta was sitting upright in her bed, bedroom dark.

Aside from the heavy panting and cold sweat that drenched her body, Atlanta just didn't feel right. Skin crawled and her fingertips felt funny, among other things. Looking down at her hands she gawked and promptly held them up to the streetlight that streamed in through her window.

No, no… nothing but her normal freshly-clipped fingernails. She could've sworn there were obscenely long and sharpened nails in place, but it was in the dark… Atlanta shrugged it off and flopped back onto her bed, covering her face with her pillow.

"I wonder if that medication has hallucinogenic side-effects."

--

Well, that's it for that chapter. Few things; Atlanta's background,

Well, it seems the new trend is that Atlanta is French-Canadian, namely on her dad's side. I liked the idea too but when I saw how popular it was I had a nervous breakdown and decided to come up with the next coolest thing; German! So ja, she be German.

As for the significance of her German 'twin', you'll see in later chapters. I can tell you that two things are stirring in 'Lanta at the moment.

And did I mention that German 'Lanta reminds me of Scar from the Lion King? Creepy.


	8. Chapter 8

…Nyahhhh………….. /random Okay, so, I do not speak German whatsoever, so please bear with me. A know a total of… well, let's count,

Guten tag

Fraulein

Danke

Nein

Ja

Gesundheit

Feuer

A total of seven words in German, the rest would be totally taken from a translator if I ever decide to put sentences in German… please bear with me x.x;;

**Prey**

_Squarehead_

Grade eleven art, the only class aside from Phys. Ed. that Atlanta had with any of the others. Despite her very athletic attitude, Atlanta was surprisingly very artistic and was able to effectively use a wide range of mediums. She sat in the second row to the back, in the middle column whereas Theresa sat on column to the left and third row from the front.

In order to have an appropriate amount of faculty to effectively run a high school, normal mortals were hired due to the lack of available gods and goddesses. The mortal portion of the faculty was kept in the dark about the gods' true identities, of course.

Sadly, the art teacher in that particular classroom was mortal, and a very strict one. One could say he was quite jealous of Atlanta's artistic ability.

"Okay, okay - _shut your traps!_" Mr. Soyka barked before gathering a thick stack of test papers. "Today is your unit test on ancient art, I expect you to use a pencil. You have until quarter after."

Half the class had already tuned out at the mention of a unit test, preferring not to hear the teacher's drawl.

_**5. Why in Ancient Greek sculptures were the people depicted often in the nude?**_

_Well that's easy, because they believed the human body to be beautiful, _Atlanta mentally answered prior to writing it down.

_**6. The Acropolis, Temple of Zeus…**_

Quickly zooming through the test, it took a few moments to realize that Theresa had passed a note to her. She picked it up and was about to unfold it when Mr. Soyka cleared his throat, "Ah-ah, Miss Pearson, mind bringing that note up to the front?"

The class 'ooo'ed while swivelling in their seats to look at her. Atlanta could feel her cheeks begin to burn before she slipped from her desk and proceeded to bring the note to the front. An irate classmate decided to trick the youngest of them all and stuck his foot out, successfully tripping her.

The redhead yelped and fell forward onto her hands and knees while the rest of the class minus Theresa erupted into laughter. Theresa simply shot a death glare to each and every one of them before standing to see if her friend was alright. The huntress was still on her hands and knees, staring at the ground.

"Ah-ahaha! What's wrong, Red? Pissed off because you're such a klutz?" The same teenager who had tripped her sneered.

Theresa would gasp when Atlanta turned abruptly, face contorted in a snarl. What really frightened her was her eyes; they shone an animalistic gold, a beast's eyes. Further concern was felt when the same girl launched herself at the boy with a howl.

The two brawled for a few moments, with Atlanta on top until the teacher managed to pull her up off him. Still, her bloodied hands still flailed at the irate asshole.

--

"I don't know what happened to her, she just snapped." Theresa leant back in her seat and combed through he hair with her fingers. "But I can tell you one thing, she wasn't in her right mind when it happened. Something else was in there."

"But what? That isn't like Atlanta. When she gets pissed off, she usually just yells at them…" Jay trailed off, at a loss.

Odie exhaled in a sigh before folding his laptop, "She gave him a concussion, a broken nose and a broken jaw."

The group fell silent at the news, each of them fidgeting nervously.

"I remember when I was younger, when I was abused severely… I almost constantly had the urge to kill someone. I was a ticking time bomb." Archie began, "Maybe something happened to Atlanta when she was younger and it was never fixed…"

Odie peered over the rim of his glasses at the punk-rock teen, "How'd you fix it?"

In response, Archie held up a book titled _'Salem's Lot_ - a Stephen King novel. "I learned to read." Then he added a little more nonchalant; "I also testified against the fucker and got him seven years in Philadelphia state pen."

Jay leant forward again and rested his arms on the table, "Atlanta is a very independent person. If something did happen as a kid, most likely she would have suppressed it instead of asking for help."

Herry, whom had remained quite silent finally spoke up, "Maybe it has to do with her near-death experience?"

--

Atlanta sighed in exasperation, flopping onto the couch after returning from the school. Redhead had been sent home after a talking to from Hera, who seemed genuinely concerned about the girl.

It was only twelve thirty, afternoon classes were just starting. The others wouldn't be home until around quarter after three or so.

Rolling over onto her side, Atlanta frowned at the fact that she just couldn't get comfortable. Her spine ached and cracked when she moved, which was generally unusual. Her lower back was sore too, or more like menstrual cramps. But that wasn't right… that would make her cycle way out of whack.

Just to make sure, the youngest of The Seven dragged herself from the couch and staggered to the kitchen to take a look at the calendar. Nope, she was nowhere near her time. With a groan, Atlanta leaned back against the counter, tipping her head back.

"This sucks."

Deciding some aspirin or Midol would help ease the discomfort, Atlanta made her way to the washroom. There, she sorted through the various medications prescribed to different members of the team. Anti-migraine meds for Theresa, anti-depressants for Archie, sleeping pills for Jay… jackpot was finding some no-name brand box, but with the bold and black letters **_PMS Relief._**

"Hallelujah…" Atlanta muttered as she read the list of symptoms that were to be relieved.

_Moodiness_

_Cramps_

_Bloating…_

Teenager punched two of the pills out of the package and took them both dry. It wasn't that much harder than taking it with water.

Upon closing the cabinet which also served as a mirror, Atlanta shrieked and stumbled back at the frightening sight of the Atlanta from her dream reflected in the mirror. Frightened girl slipped and -

Atlanta bolted upright, panting heavily. Upon surveying her current surroundings, she found that she was on the floor of the bathroom, with shards of the broken mirror littered upon the floor.

"What the hell?" Huntress stood, careful to step over the sharp reflective shards of glass. She frowned when she felt her hair brush her shoulders. Now _that _wasn't right. Atlanta had always ensured that her rather unruly flaming hair was kept short enough to require the lowest maintenance possible.

Stomach knotting in dread, the girl dashed to her bedroom which held the nearest mirror. Jaw dropped to see that her normally boyishly-short strands had lengthened to brush her shoulders, slight bed-head curls present.

"What the - Holy - Nyuhhh?" Atlanta was at a loss for words at this point, far too freaked out to make much sense. "O-okay, this has got to go."

However, upon leaving her bedroom, a stabbing pain erupted in her abdomen, eliciting a strangled gasp from her. Hand on the wall, she began to lean against it while slowly sinking to the ground. Her fingertips began to ache, and Atlanta watched with horror as her fingernails were stripped away to make room for obscenely long claws.

Atlanta retched, coughing blood up as her teeth painfully jutted and elongated and sharpened. Her sleek and powerful legs suddenly gave out in spasms of pain and she fell over onto her side. Moaning, she twisted herself and attempted to drag herself across the floor - but to what? - however her new claws made it incredibly difficult to do anything with her hands.

While her ears contorted and shifted shape, the pain intensified due to her multiple piercings. By this time Atlanta and twisted herself all the way to her stomach and was on her knees, yet her upper half had slunk low to the ground. Skin itched immensely and her clothes suddenly felt way too tight and constricted her. Wasn't long before such things tore at the seams and simply slipped from her writhing form.

_O-oh my God…_

The huntress could feel her spine lengthening, pushing away the remnants of her underwear as it developed into a tail. Another strangled groan left her lips when her legs and feet began to change, claws forming out of her toes along with pads. Socks were torn. Fur spread and thickened and by this time, Atlanta's flaming tresses had yet grown to well into her mid-back.

_It hurts… and I'm afraid…_

Head was suddenly thrown back as now, her face pushed out into a muzzle. Teeth continued to grow and shift to accommodate the changes and then before long, it done. The pain was gone, the fear… it was gone.

But, what was this? Voices? Outside? Atlanta lifted her head, furry wolven ears swivelling forward. Growling deep in her throat, she loped down the stairs and across the livingroom…

--

Archie sighed as he climbed the front steps of the brownstone, backpack slung over his shoulder, "Eh, I dunno. I got a book report due tomorrow." Teenager said, replying t Odie's request to accompany him to the arcade as he reached for the front door, "I wanna check up on Atlan-"

Upon opening the front door, he was confronted with a five foot six bipedal snarling wolf… thing.

"-ta?"


	9. Chapter 9

Keke! I've actually gotten off my rear end to write! Praise the Squirrels!

**Prey**

_Rawr, Fear Me_

Archie didn't have time to dodge or attack the canine beast before him - only yell as it came down on him. The beast's eyes flashed between two colours, gold and hazel while it clawed his chest repeatedly. The gashes bled and sang with pain each time his flesh was scored.

His cerulean-hued eyes caught sight of the gold medallion that dangled like a collar from the beast's neck. A calligraphy A shone in the light - it was Atlanta's medallion.

"Son of a bitch!" The warrior swung his unpinned left arm, his fist connecting squarely with its jaw. Whining, the beast backed off just enough for Archie to wriggle free, with the help of Jay and Odie. "Son of a bitch got Atlanta!"

"Calm down, man! We don't know that yet." Odie urged, staying with the younger injured teenager while Jay went off to assist Herry to combat the beast.

Herry slammed into its side, one arm wrapped around its neck and the other across its back. "C'mon, let's play dog-breath!"

The canine creature snarled, teeth bared as it shoved against the heavyweight, thrusting him against the wall. It was a wonder how the commotion wasn't noticed by the rest of the neighbourhood.

Jay flanked it, attempting to slice through its fur with his xiphos, but was promptly swatted to the side with one paw. An unearthly howl erupted from the beasts maw as it leant back, in a bipedal stance, nose pointed to the sky. That's when Theresa came out of nowhere, landing on the beast's back, arms wrapping firmly around its neck.

The strawberry-blonde's head snapped back as her mind was flooded with Atlanta's face and expression the way it had been in class that day, after she'd been tripped. That expression…

When Theresa came to again, she was on her back, pinned by the wolf-like creature whose muzzle was pushed into her face. The clairvoyant's green eyes shifted to the medallion, it was Atlanta's for sure… yet, upon looking past the jewellery… were those breasts concealed beneath that increasingly familiar rust-hued fur?

Before anything could be said about it, Herry barrelled into the beast, now classified as female. The two went straight in the front door of the brownstone into the entrance hall where they wrestled.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Theresa cried as Jay went to help her up.

The leader paused in his act and stared at her in confusion, "Huh? It's a girl?"

"Yes!" Theresa suddenly grabbed the collar of Jay's shirt and yanked him down close to her face. "It's Atlanta!"

"What?" Odie squeaked along with Archie in unison. Neil was quite oblivious to this revelation as he was currently gawking over the bloodstain on his shirt from Archie.

Herry, however, was too focussed on wrestling Atlanta, to listen to anything else. Atlanta snapped her jaws in his face, snarling rabidly. The two were locked in a death battle, and it looked like Atlanta was winning.

"Well how are we gonna… gonna get her back?" Jay asked. How was he going to do this? What if she was trapped in that form?

Odie recalled the tranquilizer gun and promptly retrieved it from the back of the truck. Good, it was still loaded. "Theresa! I need your expertise for this again."

Upon turning around, and glancing the gun she snatched it from his hands. The strawberry-blonde took aim and waited for an opening. There! She fired.

Atlanta yowled as the darted embedded itself into her shoulder, releasing Herry to stumble back through the doorway into the living room. Coffee table was reduced to splinters as he legs suddenly gave out, dropping her 250 pound frame onto it.

The girl-turned-beast's head was beginning to head now and as she hoisted herself on all fours, her stature was visibly weakening. With a soft whine, Atlanta slowly lowered herself down, half on her belly and half on her side. Within moments it was done.

The six remaining crowded around her gargantuan wolf-like form. Archie kneeled in front of her, placing a hand on her muzzle before running up the side of her face and through her mane of firey red hair that melded with the rest of her fur. "When will she change back?" He asked quietly, ignoring the pain his position sent through his chest. The pain was dull, and - though he wouldn't admit it - masochism wasn't alien to him.

Speak of the devil. Wolf feature began to shrink and meld away into more human ones as Atlanta's large form began to shrink. Claws shrunk back into her fingertips, fur melted into soft skin and teeth receded into her gums.

"Oh, crap! She'll be naked!" Odie squeaked and dashed to the linen closet to retrieve the first blanket he found. Upon returning, the boy of small stature found that she was already more than half-way back into human form. Only odds and ends were left to be fixed such as the remainder of the tail and muzzle. Odie quickly draped the bed sheet over the youngest of them all.

Moments after the transformation was complete, Atlanta groaned and stirred, and Archie was right by her side. "Atlanta…?"

Said girl whimpered and curled up on her side, brow creasing. Trembling hands grasped fistfuls of her long red hair before she bolted upright, wide awake and panting like she'd awakened from a nightmare. Upon glancing down, lifting the sheet, the redhead shrieked and pressed it firmly to her chest.

Archie took a step forward to lay a hand on her shoulder, "Atlan-" He was promptly shoved away with a cry from his girlfriend. Atlanta whimpered and wrapped the bed sheet tightly around her slim frame, trying to piece together what had happened.

"What in Zeus' name is going on?" Athena's aggravated, yet concerned, voice boomed from the doorway.

The seven teenagers looked up, and in response, Athena's jaw dropped. "Oh my…"

--

"Well, not until it was too late did I realize what exactly Cronus had injected into Atlanta." Dionysus announced in a defeated tone.

"So… what was it?" Jay asked, taking a step forward. He didn't exactly want to know in the idea that Atlanta, a kid sister to him, had something dangerously wrong with her.

Chiron then interjected, a heavy book in hand. The centaur placed it on the stand he often used and flipped it open, "I have that answer to tell." Atlanta was the first to crowd around the immortal creature, more than eager to figure this ordeal out.

Pages were flipped until they stopped on one that projected the image of a hulking lupine creature, looking terrifying enough. However, behind it was a much less frightening creature on all fours, looking more wolf than beast.

"I'll spare you the Latin and Greek for this creature, it is a werewolf. A man or woman who has gained the gift or curse of being able to transform into a wolf - or in more common cases, a beast of one." The centaur's eyes skimmed over the ancient words on the page, "At one time, many different species of werewolves were abundant, and not all were bloodthirsty killers. However, man found that werewolves were soldiers of evil and therefore, chased them to the ends of their earth - all but a very few number were slain. It is rare to find but one, let alone an entire functional pack."

Biting her lip, Atlanta leant forward on the tips of her toes, "What else? What kind am I?" She feared of what kind of werewolf she may be… a killer? Surely, the way she manhandled her friends… the redhead shook her head, uncut firey tresses swaying.

Chiron grunted and stroked his chin in thought. "Looks can be deceiving, Atlanta. Just because of what you look like when you transform, doesn't dictate what type of werewolf you are."

"Well how do I find out?" Atlanta leant forward even more, the precarious angle bringing Archie to grasp her waist and bring her back. In those moments of her slim frame pressed to his, he noticed her skin was unusually hot.

Sighing, Chiron closed the book. "Observations, tests need to be made - but for the time being, no matter what type of werewolf you are, restraint and control must be taught."

"And that begins with me." Ares' deep, grating voice bellowed, causing the seven teenagers' head to turn. Atlanta groaned inwardly; Ares already disliked her for several reasons. One being he hated the idea of a girl being able to beat his pupil, another that she was dating his pupil, and thirdly, because of her occasional disobedient and rebellious attitude - mainly towards him.

"Your one-on-one restraint training begins now. I expect you to be changed and ready in the arena in five minutes."


	10. Chapter 10

Okay… just wanna get this out before any questions are asked - why werewolves? Well durr, if they can vampires on the show, why not werewolves? I mean, vampires and werewolves go hand in hand in almost everything - they're practically husband and wife!

Anywho, thanks for the reviews guys! There may not be a lot, but lately they've been motivational.

**Prey**

_Born To Be_

"Uhm… so what're we doing?" Atlanta asked quietly, almost sheepishly. At this point in time, she was in no mood to put up an attitude with anyone - save for Archie maybe.

Without warning, however, Ares swept his foot under Atlanta, taking her feet with it. The girl face-planted - well, almost, with expert and unprecedented reflexes she managed to suspend her body inches from the ground with her limbs.

"With this new power you have coursing through you, and all its advantages," Ares circled around her as he spoke, "Comes something darker and just as powerful that must be controlled."

Sitting up on her knees, Atlanta watched the God of War, "Isn't there a cure? Like, kill the original werewolf or hit me over the head with something silver…?"

Ares gruffly gestured for her to stand, and only spoke when she did, "You were injected with a modified serum - there are complications with this. Until a cure can be found, training will be needed, if a cure is found."

At this, Atlanta swallowed uneasily, shifting her weight. The possibly of there being no cure was frightening. A werewolf for the rest of her life? How would she hide that from her parents? She was certain that her step-mother, being the nosy woman she was, would find out easily.

"Oh."

"We must sharpen these new abilities," Ares took a sudden swipe at Atlanta with his xiphos, the attack swiftly sidestepped by its intended target. "Hone them," Another attack, another swift and almost effortless dodge, "Use Cronus' own plan to defeat him."

A swipe was aimed for Atlanta's ankles, to avoid which she launched herself backwards, flipping in a long arch and landing several feet away. "Wouldn't be the first time we've done that."

Ares quirked an eyebrow and gestured to her hands; claws had sprouted once more. "You were born for one sole purpose with these abilities no other living human possesses - what no human should possess. You were born to fight - now fight this."

As the realization dawned on her that she was transforming, the pain hit her full-force. Her pained cry rose to an unearthly shriek while her back arched. Every sensation from a mere hour or two before returned, everything happening as it did before.

Hera, whom had been watching from her own little balcony, pressed her fingertips to her mouth. "Ares!" She hissed, "It is too early for her transform again!"

"_Mm… what be wrong, fraulein?"_

That voice! It belonged that damn doppelganger! The huntress' eyes snapped open, glaring molten gold. Clawed hands gouged into the rubbery surface of the running track as another furious yowl rose in her throat.

Ares, after taking a good, hard look at the girl, decided that it was a problem and swiftly strode towards her. "Control indeed." He muttered flatly before driving the side of her head with the blunt side of his xiphos.

--

"Okay, I'm sorry, but flipping werewolves? That's insane." Neil announced, pacing back and forth with his hands flipping around as he talked - stereotypical sign of one raised in an Italian family.

"Last time I checked, we were born specifically to send a power-hungry God of Time back to Tartarus, we've fought Giants, Cyclopes and vampires - yeah, we're all insane. Welcome to the club." Archie muttered, eyes never taken away from the book he was reading. It had long been established that Archie was a closet poet and a bookworm, though he claimed to have given up poetry during his teenage year to filter out the unwanted teen angst.

Neil continued to argue, "Yeah but _werewolves_?" Suddenly, his attention was diverted to the very tome that had Archie's interest in its grasp. "Ohhhh, what ya reading?"

Theresa groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "The epitome of luck, and he has the attention span of a goldfish."

"Yeah, but with an attention span like that, you gotta be lucky to survive." Jay added flatly.

"A book." Was Archie's reply to Neil's query.

"What kind of book?"

"I regular book that literate people can read."

"What's it called?" Before the punk-rocker could answer, the slightly femme blonde snatched the piece of literature from his hands and cooed. "Ohhh, _'Salem's Lot_ by Ste-phen Kiiiing! Spooky!"

Even Herry knew not to remove a book from Archie's hands - ever. Said fifteen year old leapt up and grasped the older blonde's wrist, twisting that arm and placing it to his back while Archie's other arm held Neil's head in a headlock.

"Give the book back. Keep in mind that in this position alone, I can kill you seven different ways." He was threatening death on a teammate? Herry knew the guy had had a rough past, those scars on his back and arms weren't all that subtle, but this was a little over the edge.

Neil chuckled nervously, "You can't kill me though, that means the big hero of the big picture would be gone, and no prophecy-"

"That's not a problem; I can go get your soul from the Underworld and do it all over again."

With a sheepishly squeak, Neil handed the book back to Archie who gladly took it and released Neil - but not without a warning glare. Neil scampered out, complaining about having to redo his hair.

"Could you really kill him seven different ways?" Odie asked, peering over his glasses.

The descendant of Achilles shrugged with a; "Meh, only five."

The room lapsed into uneasy silence, Archie seemingly unaware that the discomfort was directed at him.

--

Hehe! Okay, I have to say, I love the goldfish attention span comment. And, that entire scene with the rest of the team was meant to pick up the mood a bit, and hopefully make you at least chuckle. And I felt Neil was slightly out of character…


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